Bowen to face recount winner in Port St. Lucie city council race

PORT ST. LUCIE — It's unclear who will face Tuesday night's top vote-getter Ron Bowen in a November District 4 runoff after a recount was declared between the two closest candidates.

Less than half of a percent separates candidates Jolien Caraballo, 31, and Robert Bluestone, 59. That means the entire race will undergo an automatic machine recount Saturday, St. Lucie County Supervisor of Elections Gertrude Walker said.

Caraballo sneaked past Bluestone with about 50 extra votes, but each trailed Bowen by about 300 votes. After all ballots are counted, Walker said the office will officially announce who will be in the Nov. 6 general election.

Bowen, 63, a city councilman from 1992 to 2000 and now a life insurance and retirement agent, claimed more than 35 percent of the initial vote and said it doesn't matter to him who he faces in the runoff.

Tuesday's nonpartisan open primary ushered in a new era in Port St. Lucie politics as four candidates vied for the seat occupied by four-term Councilman Jack Kelly. He announced in March he would step down after 12 years in office.

Bowen, who also ran for mayor in 2006, thinks name recognition and a grass-roots campaigning effort allowed to him to come out on top.

"I was a viable candidate six years ago and the same people who read about me think I'm the most viable candidate right now," he said.

Caraballo, a small-business owner, said she's excited about the recount and is ready to move forward.

"The citizens showed their support, and I'm excited about everyone who came out and voted," she said.

Bluestone, a retired bank executive and former Fort Pierce commissioner, said although his campaigning efforts have been low-key, he's ready to launch a "full blown" effort against Bowen in November.

"The strategy was to get into the runoff," he said. "Once we are in and it's verified ... we're into this to win."